Webinar/Podcast

Nelson Monteith with Honest Mary's

Welcome to the Corner Booth!

Join host Chris Tripoli and guests for a podcast for anyone who is starting a restaurant business, growing an independent restaurant business, or dreaming about starting an independent restaurant business.

Learn from successful restaurateurs who share their stories WHY they got into the business and HOW they created and built their winning concepts.

Corner Booth is a production of RestaurantOwner.com.

So grab your favorite beverage, have a seat, and listen in!

Inspired by the trend of healthy menu options in quick-service dining, Nelson Monteith, founder and CEO of Austin, TX-based Honest Mary's, left the oil and gas industry to become a restaurant entrepreneur. Monteith’s confidence in Honest Mary’s was fueled by months visiting similar concepts in California and Florida, as well as researching the quick-service sector. However, he was not as confident in his ability to run the business. ''I worked making smoothies as a teenager, but was unaware of the many moving pieces there are in the daily operations of a restaurant,” he says. “Committing to a lease and raising the necessary funds was a very big step, as was leaving my job.”

Naming the concept after his wife Mary, he launched the business in 2017 in a 2,500-square-foot space in Austin. In this episode, Monteith shares his experience in the startup phase to develop systems and operational consistency. Honest Mary's became known as the "Fresh, Healthy, Fast, & Affordable " alternative, serving a growing community of guests for lunch and dinner.

With a menu focused on both signature and build-your-own grain bowls, Honest Mary's built a loyal following. Two and a half years after launching the first unit, Monteith opened the second location. He opened the third in 2023 and the fourth in 2024.

Now, armed with a fresh seasonal menu program, community-focused marketing, and a strong management team, Honest Mary's is looking to expand outside of Austin. "We aren't interested in franchising but should open a company-operated location in Houston sometime late 2025," says Monteith.

With 40% of the restaurant's volume coming from online orders, car-side pick-up, and delivery, Honest Mary's successfully operates from small spaces with minimal staffing and opening costs. Says Monteith, “We think we are a concept built for today's market."